Wednesday, April 06, 2016

360 Tons of Bombs in a Single Day / The Bombing of Belgrade April 6, 1941 / "Serbia.com" April 6, 2016

It was 1941, April, when the smell of gunpowder, smoke and ashes ruined one of the most beautiful months in Belgrade. The serenity of this spring morning was disrupted by the sounds of German planes and death-dealing projectiles. The streets were resonating with spine-chilling sounds and deafening fear. The most devastating attack in the history of the Serbian capital – the Nazi bombing of Belgrade – had just begun.

[Without war being declared or a warning sent by the Nazis, the Germans attacked on the 6th of April, 1941], and the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia lost a significant part of its residential buildings and infrastructure as well as many cultural monuments. Over 200 German bombers flew over Belgrade on that hellish morning. In four air strikes they deployed over 360 tons of bombs. However, the devastation didn’t end here.

In the following two days, 484 aircraft took part in the attack on Belgrade and of these, 234 were bombers and 120 were fighter aircraft. The precise number of casualties remains unknown but it is supposedly around the 2,274 mark. The German estimates of the Yugoslav casualties were between 1,500 and 1,700.

In these cruel attacks on Belgrade, the parts of the city around the Main railway station, Slavija, Senjak, the city centre and the Terazije square, governmental buildings in Nemanjina street and those in Knez Miloš street, and most of the residential area in Dorćol were severely damaged. The National Library, once located in Kosančićev venac, was completely destroyed, with over 300,000 books (which was the entire library fund) including invaluable copies, lost in the fire.

According to Darko Ćirić, a renowned historian, out of 19,641 buildings which existed in Belgrade before the war, 9,365 were destroyed or damaged. 8,000 families were left without a roof over their heads.

According to numerous historical experts, the April attack was Hitler’s retribution for the 27th of March, 1941 when the ruling trio of Cvetković-Maček and the regent Pavle Karađorđević were overthrown [in a coup] for signing a pact with Germany. This is why many think that the bombing was Hitler’s personal vengeance and therefore had a political-terrorist character.

The coup of March 27 basically determined the fate of Yugoslavia and paved its road to the group of countries opposing Nazi Germany. As soon as news of the coup reached the people, in Belgrade and in the whole of Yugoslavia, mass street demonstrations took place in support of the coup.

"Bolje rat nego pakt” (roughly translated “Better a war than the pact”) and “Bolje grob nego rob” (“Better the grave than a slave”) were the words that marked the famous coup. Soon after, Winston Churchill, Britain’s leader, stated that “Yugoslavia found its soul.” [Shortly after that, the brutal attacks by Germany began.] Yugoslavia was torn into pieces and the Nazi occupiers formed the so-called Independent state of Croatia...

No comments:

Post a Comment

Watch "The Kingdom of Yugoslavia in WWII" Episodes 1-6

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the Second World War Documentary Series

THAT IS HEROISM...

"When the Will defies Fear,

When Duty throws the gauntlet down to Fate,

When Honor scorns to compromise with Death -

That is Heroism."

Robert Green Ingersoll

Thanks for visiting!

Aleksandra Rebic is an American of Serbian heritage born and raised in the Chicago area, the daughter of Serbian parents who emigrated to the United States from the former Yugoslavia and made America their home. She is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Studies from the School of Speech.

Aleksandra has been an aspiring writer and student of history all of her life. While employed at a successful data processing company with both national and international clientele, she dedicates much of her free time to the freelance writing that she hopes will make a difference. Her focus and interests cover a wide range of topics, and her goal is to move and inspire people to see things from a different perspective. Aleksandra has been published in both Serbian and American newspapers and extensively online on the World Wide Web. She is co-author, with her father Rade Rebic, of the book “Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich i Drugi Svetski Rat: Istorija Jedne Velike Izdaje” (“Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich and the Second World War: History of a Great Betrayal”) in the Serbian language, and of a number of reports that she has issued through the years, including “Serbian 1,000 Points of Light,” “Stepinac,” “The Politics of Propaganda,” and “Jasenovac,” all in the English language.

Aleksandra has also established two websites online dedicated to educating both Serbs and non-Serbs about the true role that the Serbian people have played in world events throughout history. The two websites are:

With her father, she has organized and hosted several successful events including the 1993 "Mihailovich 100th Birthday Celebration" and the 1994 "Halyard Mission 50th Anniversary Commemoration," both held in Chicago.

Her current project in progress, together with her father, is "Heroes of Serbia," a special tribute book honoring the pivotal role the Serbs played in the Allied victory in World War One. “Heroes of Serbia” will be published in both the English and Serbian language in 2015, with the ultimate goal of having the tribute published in multiple languages.

Aleksandra remains a loyal American patriot who believes in the Serbian cause. Her many other interests and passions include photography, travel, nature and the outdoors, entertainment (movies, music, and television), reading, spending quality time with family and friends, planning and enjoying outings and new adventures, and sharing her Christian faith.

She currently resides and works in the Chicagoland area and is available for speaking engagements.